I Think I Love You
by Romanticiannn
Summary: For him, it was love at first sight. For her, she couldn't bring herself to love him. After all, he was the worst guy she had ever met, and then there were other problems...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there, peeps! I'm back! As promised, I'm posting a new story. To be honest, this is an inspired story. I read Digimon fanfics alot, and I saw a certain story with a similar storyline. Just that the author never moved from Chapter 1. Before anyone talks about any plagiarism or anything, nope. The only similar thing is just the idea of the female lead being a new girl in town. If that's called plagiarism then I'm sure all of the other authors who've wrote similar stories would be charged for that as well. **

**Anyways, I hope this will be a thrilling story for you. Runo is supposed to be a feisty girl, like in the anime, but who at the same time can br quite calm in certain situations which involve a lot of thinking. She's moved from Wardington to Bayview in order for her family to start a restaurant in Bayview with her Aunt Rikka. Their restaurant had been doing well, and they have hence expanded business permanently to Bayview. i'll explain about the personality of the other characters in other chapters. They may vary from how they are in the anime. In the mean**time, enjoy the story! ^^

* * *

"I told you you shouldn't have packed so much clothes!"

With a roll of my eyes, I let out another groan.

"What's wrong, Mum?" I turned around with an unsatisfied look, only to be returned with a raised eyebrow from my mother.

"The last time I popped by here you were unpacking the same box!" My mother protested.

I gasped, throwing my hands in the air as I got up on my feet and put my hands on my hips while pouting my cheeks. "Mum, you came in less than five minutes ago!"

At my comment, my mother flushed. Not wanting to put up an argument, my mother quickly left the room, closing the door behind her with a 'click'.

Taking my seat, I looked at the rows of boxes around me. Maybe my mother had been right, but then again, I couldn't decide what clothes to bring along! All my shorts had all been so nice... And the suspenders were all too comfortable to leave them behind in the old house...

Oh! I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Runo Misaki, and currently, I'm living in Bayview. I initially lived in Wardington, where my parents owned a restaurant. However, business had been so well that my aunt asked us to move over to Bayview where we could actually earn more money. Not that I didn't like it, but I wasn't keen on the idea of having to get used to a new environment all over again. But what could I do if my parents wanted it? I couldn't have stayed back in Wardington all by myself, could I?

I sighed in exasperation as I decided to instead leave my packing till later. Eyeing the bottom of my bed with a sly smile, I hopped onto my feet, pushing my boxes under my bed. I pulled out the last few pieces of clothing from the box behind me, quickly slotting them into my cupboard before I grinned proudly.

I quickly tied up my hair into two low pigtails, before running out of my room and down the stairs.

"Runo, don't run in the house! And young lady, where on Earth are you going?"

"Just out to explore, Mum!" I called back as I sat at the entrance of the house, tightening my shoelaces.

I eagerly ran out of the house, looking around me. Bayview was certainly much busier than Wardington was. I could see why Aunt Rikka had suggested that we moved here.

Bayview was not much different from Wardington though. There were still buildings almost everywhere. Oh wait, what am I saying, this _is_ a city. I mentally slapped myself.

A certain cafe caught my eye. It had a flashy heading called "Sweets 'N Treats". I frowned, guessing that it would be a potentially strong rival for our restaurant.

"But it still seems nice though, maybe it wouldn't hurt to try it out," I whispered to myself as I slowly headed towards the cafe.

The cafe certainly wasn't as packed as I'd expected. Probably because it was a slow afternoon. As soon as I took a seat, a bubbly silver-haired girl skated over to me. Her silver hair was gathered in a ponytail and her uniform was a blue polo with white shorts, slightly too revealing if you asked me.

"Hi, oh, hi! I don't believe we've met!"

I looked up at the girl weirdly. Weren't waitors supposed to ask for their customers' orders?

There was a long pause as she continued to grin at me, awaiting a reply from me. I simply blinked back, having no intention of answering her regarding anything except my order.

"Oh, I'm sooooo sorry, but I know everyone in Bayview!"

The silver-haired girl earned another weird look from me.

"Not everyone, actually, just all the teenagers in the city! By the way, my name is Julie! Are you a new girl here?" The girl rambled on non-stop.  
I pursed my lips for a moment, before nodding my head slowly. What I hoped was that she wouldn't probe anymore about me...

"Where're you from?"

"I moved from Wardington," I replied dryly, unamused.

"Oh, so why did you move here?"

"My aunt recommended us to collaborate with her. She owns a restaurant here," I answered, trying to keep my cool. This silver-haired girl was asking one too many question.

"What kind of- Oh wait, silly me! I don't even know your name yet! What's your name?"

I mentally groaned, as I smiled sweetly. "My order, _please_?"

"Oh my, I'm so terribly sorry! We can chat later right after I get your order! So, what would you like?"

I slowly placed the menu down. "I'd like a sugar icing cake and a chocolate frappe, please."

"Coming right up!" Julie winked, whisking away with the menu.

I blinked, before sighing. Was everyone in Bayview this weird? Before I could think any further, a tray was slot before me.

"Your sugar icing cake and chocolate frappe is here!"

I frowned, it had barely been even two minutes. I saw Julie scan the entire cafe, before quickly slotting into the seat opposite me.

Julie noticed my frown, before giggling. "Don't worry, it's served fresh! We have extremely fast service, that's all!"

"Don't listen to Julie, it's because she was pressurising us to hurry up with the order that we had to be fast!" A blonde boy from the counter called back.

"That's not true, Billy!" The silver-haired protested. The said boy simply rolled his eyes, while Julie turned back to me.

"So, how old are you?"

After a sip, I lifted up my head to look at Julie. "Sixteen."

"Oh my gosh, that's like the same age as me! Do you go to Bayview High?" Julie squealed.

I simply nodded my head as I popped a slice of cake into my mouth, chewing it. There was slightly too much sugar, I noticed, and there was insufficient flour used.

"Oh my gosh! Class E?"

I lifted up my head and nodded again, before freezing.

"Don't tell me... You're in class E too?" I gasped.

"Yeah! Isn't that great?" Julie squealed and cheered.

I sweatdropped. I wasn't so sure about that.

"Anyway, how about we meet to go to school together tomorrow? I know we're going to be just great friends!" The bubbly Australian said.

I gave a nervous smile, not sure whether I would be making the right decision if I agreed.

But then again, it wouldn't be polite to say no, right?

I nodded my head with a small smile, only to see Julie hop up and punch her fist in the air.

"Oh yes! Another friend! I can't wait to show you around the school!"

I smiled. I didn't know why, I just did. I got up from my seat.

"I'm about to go explore the place a little more. I'll make a move first," I told the Australian.

"Alright!" Julie said cheerily.

As I approached the door, I heard the Australian shouting behind me again.

"See you tomorrow outside Sweets 'N Treats at seven! Remember, seven!"

I giggled, shutting the door behind me.

As I walked down the pavement, I hummed to myself, picturing in my mind what I should wear the next day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an attention-seeking kind of girl. On the contrary, many actually call me a tomboy. I just wanted to make sure I fit right in into the new environment. After all, I didn't want to be the odd one out in the school and have everyone else think that I'm a weirdo.

As I made a turn around the path, I saw a huge building. The first sight of it told me that it was Bayview High School, positively. Since it was a weekend, the coast was clear. The school was positively humungous, and especially spacious. It seemed like the whole Wardington could fit in!

I walked past the school gates, placing my hand on the cool metal bars and stroking them as I did so. I noticed that the school was certainly a great place - it had many facilities. There was an open pool, a soccer field... All of a sudden I couldn't wait to take my first step into the school.

I grinned as I finally walked past the school. In the past hour I hadn't even explored a quarter of the city. I couldn't help but laugh at my own unproductivity.

I stopped in my tracks.

"Help..."

I blinked.

"Help..."

I wasn't hearing things, was I?

"Somebody... Anybody..."

I turned to look around me. I had long passed the school and was at a small park nearby. I looked up, only to see a brunette slumped on a bulky branch of a tree.

I gasped. It couldn't be. How did he even get up there?

I looked around frantically for help, but to no avail. I frowned and pursed my lips, before finally deciding to climb up the tree myself.

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

Pulling up my tank top briefly, I placed a foot on the tree trunk. The tree was rather smooth, with barely anything to provide me with a firm footing. However, there was no stopping me. I soon climbed up onto the branch, and reached the brunette.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked as I shook the brunette, whose eyes were shut tightly.

"Mmm... What is it...?"

The brunette slowly opened his eyes, only to reveal a mesmerising pair of chocolate orbs. I couldn't help but be momentarily hypnotised by them.

"Who are you?"

I blinked, snapping myself awake.

"You asked for help...?" I asked slowly. If I wasn't wrong, the brunette had actually been... sleeping...

"I did?" The teenage boy asked, scratching his head as he slowly sat up.

"Were you... _sleeping_?" I asked slowly.

The brunette yawned. "I guess I did fall asleep."

I gasped, feeling anger rise inside of me. I had painstakingly climbed the tree to save this boy, who claimed to actually have been sleeping! He had been sleeptalking! In a fit of anger, I hopped onto the branch, about to punch the boy in the gut, when...

_Snap! _

I let out a scream while the boy shouted. The both of us landed on the ground with a_ "thud"_. I shut my eyes tightly, until I heard a painful groan below me. I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly when I saw the brunette under me.

"Gosh, you're heavy!"

I gasped again. I got up and glared down at the brunette, who was rubbing his head.

"Aren't you quite the feisty one," he grinned.

"I can't believe you! You got me climbing up a tree and when I saved you you instead say that I'm fat!" I yelled, throwing a kick at the boy, who only chuckled.

"I'm Dan Kuso. Pardon me, I sleep talk."

"I don't care. I don't care who you are, what you were doing on the tree, why you were sleeping on the tree or whether you sleep talk, these are all none of my business!" I yelled, turning around and storming off.

* * *

"I'm home..." I said tiredly, pulling off my shoes.

"Honey, how was your day?" Dad asked, putting down his newspaper as he grinned at me. I had always been my father's favourite daughter - alright, alright, I'm his only daughter - and he had always doted on me greatly.

"Let's just say it hasn't been quite the normal day," I answered dryly, thinking about Dan and Julie.

"Did you make any new friends?" Dad asked curiously. I knew what he actually meant. My father never liked me hanging out with guys.

"I met a girl and a boy. The girl works at a nearby cafe and she's especially bubbly. She can't stop asking questions," I groaned, lying down on the comforter.

"And the guy?" Dad asked curiously.

"He's the worst! I heard someone asking for help and spotted this brunette on a branch. I climbed onto the branch to help him, and it turns out that he was sleeping!" I threw my hands in the air in exasperation. I was cautious not to tell him the rest of the story. I wasn't sure that my father would be pleased to hear that I landed on a boy I had never met before.

Before my father could reply, my mother popped her head from the kitchen. "Oh, Runo, I'm sure everyone else in Bayview is much nicer!"

"I hope so," I mumbled to myself. I sure hope I didn't make the wrong decision about coming over to Bayview.

* * *

**And that's Chapter 1! Our blunette has met Julie and the male lead, both of which weren't very good starts to a meeting, were they? Will Runo turn up for the meeting with Julie? Will she fit in in her new school? Will Dan and Runo ever get along? And just what is with Dan and his eccentric sleeping habits? Stay tuned to find out! Leave a review too please! :-***


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so sorryyyyyyyyy. I forgot to mention that "I Think I Love You" will be updated on a weekly basis, maybe only for now because I'm making rather slow progress and only still at Chapter 7. Besides my schedule's going to be even more packed with my job... T^T But I'm still glad that the first chapter has won quite a bit of support! (: I only hope that there'll be more reviews and positive feedback with the following chapters. (: once again, I'd like to thank all those who have read this story, especially my most honorable reviews. ^^**

** diamond heart 82: So glad you** **love it! Sigh, Dan is just as silly as ever! But there'd be something wrong if he wasn't silly heheh!**

** Guest: Thanks for your support! I hope that you'll enjoy the rest of the story too! ^^**

** strikedeathkd53019: Glad that you like it! ^^ thanks for your support! (: **

** runo: Thanks alot. (: I hope I'll continue to live up to your expectations! ^^ **

** Guest: What happens next huh? (: tons and tons of fluffiness and plenty of drama hahahahahs. Okay I'm probably not giving much hints or anything oops hahahahahas nevermind just enjoy the chapter heheh ^^**

**And with that, Chapter 2! ^^**

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I nervously adjusted my hair pin as I approached Sweets 'N Treats, where Julie and I had agreed to meet. I was a little early, partly because I couldn't really sleep and because staying at home only grew more butterflies in my stomach.

I spent an hour in front of the mirror, trying to decide what to wear. Nothing too slutty, nothing too nerdy, I constantly reminded myself. So, I decided to wear a purple-off shoulder and a pair of denim red shorts. I was quite sure it would be a pretty fine outfit.

When Sweets 'N Treats was in sight, I'd expected to see only emptiness with no sign of living organisms, but boy was I wrong. Standing right at the entrance was a girl clothed in pink. A pink halter-neck top, pink hair band, and a pair of pink shoes. Only her shorts were white.

It didn't take me more than thirty seconds to figure out just who this pinkish girl was. When I was five metres away from her, I saw her standing on her tiptoes, waving her arms wildly.

I chuckled. I didn't expect Julie to be so awake early in the morning.

"Morning!" The Australian cheered.

"Ohayou," I smiled back. "You're pretty early."

"You bet!" Julie winked as we started walking towards the school. "I couldn't wait to take you around the school! And goodness, your outift is so pretty! But, it would be nicer if you were in a skirt though, and if you would just let down your hair..." Julie narrowed her eyes at me, causing me to sweatdrop.

"You really don't have to..." I laughed nervously.

"Nonsense! I want you to fit right into this school and make a grand entrance! As soon as we get into the school, I'm going to give you a makeover!" Julie squealed excitedly, literally hopping up and down.

I shook my head with a smile. Maybe knowing Julie wasn't so bad. She was pretty nice and considerate, wanting me to feel comfortable in this new environment.

"Speaking of which, I don't know your name yet!"

I blinked, before laughing out loud. I was surprised at the Australian's random behaviour.

"Runo. Runo Misaki."

"Alright, Runo! Anyway, there should be some things you know about our school, the basics at least. No alcohol, no cigarettes, no violence, no bullying..."

I wasn't paying attention to Julie. Most of the information she mentioned were actually pretty redundant - the rules applied in my school back at Wardington as well. Hanging out with Julie made me feel that the Bayview school students would be nice after all.

"I believe we'll have most of the same classes! And, we'll have lunch together! I'll introduce you to all my friends!" Julie said excitedly. "Ooh, we've reached!"

I stared at the school, blinking. The building looked so gloomy, and deserted.

"Are you sure school starts now?"

Julie gave me an incredulous look, before laughing. "You silly girl, of course not! I got you to come early just so I could show you around the school!"

I almost fainted. Alright, I know Julie did it out of good intention, but still, she didn't really need to deprive of my sleep, did she? But then again, I couldn't really sleep well too, so it hadn't make much of a difference.

Julie pulled me past the school gates and down a long hallway, stopping before a locker. Skilfully spinning the lock, the Australian abruptly pulled the door open - I could have sworn she was so close to pulling the door off the hinge.

I stared in disbelief. The silver haired girl's locker was stuffed with piles of clothing. Julie pulled out a red skirt, before slamming back her locker door and pushing me into the washroom.

In a matter of seconds, the Australian had pulled down my shorts and dressed me in the red skirt. Despite my protests, she tugged my hair bands, and even confiscated them. I pouted my cheeks, but when Julie pointed at the mirror with a smug smile, I turned to the mirror and gasped.

I looked almost like a whole new person, who looked so much prettier.

"Is this me?" I blinked.

"Girl, you don't know how pretty you are!" Julie laughed, pulling me out of the washroom. "Before we are late for class, let's bring you for a tour."

I nodded my head as I followed Julie. Unsurprisingly, the school was just as big as it seemed on the outside. It was nothing like my school back in Wardington. It had anything and everything - large, spacious classroom, an indoor sports hall, a dance room, a performance hall... The list was unending!

"... And this is our classroom!" Julie announced with a twirl of her body, stopping outside a classroom. The silver haired girl blinked for a moment, before giving me a sheepish smile. "If you don't mind, I need to use the washroom for a moment."

I shook my head with a giggle. It clearly looked like it was urgent business. Julie laughed nervously, before dashing down the hallway. I looked around again, before gently pushing open the door. To my surprise, there was someone in the classroom.

It was a brunette with his head on the table, fast asleep. At first I smiled upon the sight, but then shuddered when I realised who it could have been.

"Give me back my hamburger..."

It couldn't be. I sweatdropped. Was I that unfortunate? Was I cursed in every way?

To my horror, he suddenly got up from his seat, eyes shut tightly. His face was scrunched, and he raised his arm to point at me, causing me to jump a little.

"Give me back my hamburger!"

Before I could react, the brunette was already charging towards me. I didn't have the time to respond and was pushed onto the ground by him. I let out a squeak, trying to push him off of me.

At this point of time, the brunette was already slowly waking up. He groggily got up, looking down at me with half-opened eyes.

"Why are you under me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Speak for yourself! You were the one who got me into this mess!"

Dan Kuso let out a long yawn, slowly climbing onto his feet. I unhappily glared at him, expecting him to help me up. After all, he was the one who had pushed me to the floor!

I gasped in horror when instead, I watched him pace back to his seat and lie down once more. He began snoring in a matter of seconds, causing me to sweatdrop.

_This guy was impossible! _

I angrily marched out of the classroom, not wanting to be bothered by the doofus anymore. I couldn't believe that I was even in the same class as him. It was just my luck!

"Runo!" I turned my head towards Julie, who was running towards me.

"Julie!"

The Australian laughed. "I heard a bit of noise inside, what happened?"

I rolled my eyes and slapped my forehead. "It's a long story. I don't really want to talk about it."

Julie blinked curiously, but decided not to pry any further. She took my hand. "Here, let me show you to your locker!"

The Australian led me down a long pathway, far away from our classroom, and finally stopped me at one of the lockers. I laughed nervously at the sight of my locker. Julie had positively outdone herself. My locker was decorated with much glitter, and there were shiny paper letters which spelt my name pasted on the locker. I was just glad she didn't paste a photo of me on my locker...

I turned to the locker beside mine, before sweatdropping. On the locker was a sticker with "Dan Kuso" written in black ink. My eyebrow twitched as I cursed under my breath.

"What's wrong?" Julie asked inquisitively.

I simply shook my head.

A bell rang above us, and only then had I noticed that the school had gotten much more crowded. Julie giggled, gesturing me to follow her.

"Class is about to start!"

I watched as Julie trailed down the path, and gasped as she stopped abruptly, causing me to bump into her. I rubbed my sore nose, pouting my cheeks at her.

"Sorry, Runo, it's just that you should probably wait for the teacher to introduce you before you enter. Look, Ms Marlene is already there," Julie pointed at a slender brown haired woman who was walking towards us. The woman had soft hazel eyes and was clothed in a pale yellow top and a black skirt. She seemed to be a really kind woman.

I nodded my head, asking Julie to enter the classroom first. Ms Marlene stopped before me with a gentle smile.

"Runo Misaki?" I nodded my head. "Welcome to Bayview High School! I'm Ms Marlene, the homeroom teacher for this class. I hope you like it here!"

"Bayview's been lovely," I said truthfully, returning the smile.

Ms Marlene grinned, gesturing me to follow her. She led me up the platform in front of the class, and I turned to face the class with a small smile.

"Today, we have with us a new student, Runo Misaki," I could see Julie beaming proudly at me. I laughed nervously, scanning the classroom, and sweatdropped when I saw that Dan Kuso was still in snoozeville.

"Runo," I turned to Ms Marlene. "Please introduce yourself."

I nodded my head. "I come from Wardington, and I moved here because my aunt suggested to my parents that they had a collaboration and work on my aunt's restaurant here together. So... here I am now. I hope that we can all be great friends," I beamed.

I didn't know why, but as soon as I beamed, every single guy, alright except Dan Kuso, let out a sigh. I blinked in confusion, while Julie gave me a thumbs-up from her seat.

"You can take a seat beside Dan... Dan! Sleeping again?" Ms Marlene frowned.

The brunette simply laid on his table, unaware of his surroundings. I sweatdropped.

Ms Marlene walked over to Dan Kuso, pulling his ear. The brunette yelped, before finally sitting up straight.

"Sorry, Ms Marlene!" Dan Kuso gasped.

The entire class burst out in laughter, while Ms Marlene shook her head.

"Please make Runo feel welcomed, at the least. And don't distract her in class!" Ms Marlene lectured.

Dan gazed up at me, squinting his eyes at me. He gasped lightly, pointing his finger at me. Before he could say anything, Ms Marlene sat me down.

"Dan sleeps a lot in class, so if he ever distracts you with his snoring or his sleeptalking, don't hesitate to give him a pinch!" Ms Marlene winked, before walking towards the front of the class.

I smiled, before shuddering as I felt an intense gaze on me. Turning to my right, I saw Dan Kuso with his eyes narrowed at me.

"Hmm..."

I blinked and gasped lightly, slightly frightened by the brunette's eccentric behavior. "Hai?!"

"Didn't we..."

I felt my heart thumping against my chest strongly, causing me to gasp for air lightly. I gulped.

"Didn't we meet yesterday?"

I slammed my head on the table. I couldn't imagine what the rest of my high school life would be like sitting right next to this idiot.

* * *

**And that was Chapter 2! Dan's still as silly as ever isn't he? Hahahahahs things will get more interesting later on, after all you have Dan who's such a clown and Julie who's always so hyped up. More characters will be introduced in the next chapter, namely Alice, Mira, Fabia and Shun. (: Can things get any worse for Runo? Do leave behind love notes, I mean reviews HAHAHAHA. **

**I've drawn a picture of the Bakugan girls, thinking it should be the cover oicture, but would it be relevant? After all, this story is more of a Kusaki story. ö but then again, the picture is kind of... Mmmm, how do I say it? They're just the girls in some outfits with relation to the story (will be revealed in further chapters). So what do you guys think? (: **


	3. Chapter 3

**I truly hope you guys are excited about this story! ^^ one week has finally passed (YAY) and here's chapter 3! But before that, I'll be answering the reviewers! (: **

** diamond heart 82: Gosh I never really thought it'd be able to make one laugh hahahahs! But well, Dan is such a dork. (: hope you'll enjoy more (; **

** strikedeathkd53019: Glad that you liked it ^^ and here's your long awaited chapter 3! ^^ **

** purple heartz: Yes a shaky start indeed, but will it be for long? (; about your story, I'll be sure to read it. ^^ **

** kinda annoyed: Well I'm terribly sorry but let me explain. My reasoning behind Dan's carefree character is to give Runo every reason to hate him, so that she wouldn't like him initially. Dan won't always be this carefree, promise. You'll see in the upcoming chapters. (:**

** Aika Misaki: A male version of you? Gosh that must be awfully adorable hahahahas ^^ I'm glad you love the story! Hope you'll love it more and more with each updated chapter (;**

**And with that, chapter 3! **

* * *

"Ooh, Runo, you have no idea just how lucky you are. _Absolutely no idea_!"

I sighed deeply, covering my ears with my hands. For the past ten minutes, Julie had been repeating the same line over and over again - as we left the classroom for lunch, queued up for our food, found our seats...

"And why exactly am I that lucky?" I finally gave up. Julie was clearly trying to get me to ask.

The silver haired girl dropped her tray on the table, where a group of people sat. "You have no idea!"

I groaned, certainly having lost to the girl. Julie was driving me crazy.

"Julie, aren't you going to introduce us to your new friend?"

I turned my head to a ginger-haired girl, who was smiling genuinely at me.  
Julie jumped up lightly, patting her forehead repeatedly. She pointed to the ginger haired girl, whose hazel brown eyes sparkled. At first glance, I could tell that she was a very sweet and kind girl. "This is Alice. Alice is from Russia, and she's in the Science Club. Meaning, she's really smart."

Alice and I gave each other a nod of approval, as well as smiles before Julie turned to the girl beside Alice, a green-eyed female with orange hair reaching her shoulders. "This is Mira. Mira's a little fierce at times but-"

"Hey!" Mira snapped, glaring at Julie. I giggled slightly, and froze when I realised what I had just did. Mira instead turned to me, before letting out a laugh.

"... But she's still a really nice girl on the inside," Julie finished with a sheepish look. Julie turned to the last girl at the table, "And this is Fabia. She's a really good fighter. I got flipped on my ass once for teasing Fab. Better not get on her nerves!"

I stared at the dark blunette with green eyes. She seemed to be a somewhat shady girl with her fringe covering one eye. Fabia placed down her smoothie and looked up at me. Expecting her to coolly turn away after a quick glance, she instead gave me a little wave and a sincere smile.

"Welcome to the clique!"

"Girls, this is Runo. Runo's a Korean-Japanese and she moved all the way from Wardington where her family initially owned a restaurant. She's had three boyfriends before and-"

I covered Julie's mouth, shocked. "I never told you all these before - my race or my love history!"

The three girls around the table burst out laughing, while I immediately turned beet red. Meanwhile, Julie had turned all red from the lack of oxygen, and was hitting my hand repeatedly. I quickly let her go, laughing nervously.

"I thought I was going to die!" Julie cried out, throwing her arms up in the air.  
"Don't be so scared of Julie, Runo. Julie is a major stalker," Fabia laughed.

I glared at Julie, who glared back at me, and took my seat beside Fabia while Julie sat beside Alice. I stuck out my tongue at the Australian, who stuck her tongue out back at me, while the other girls simply laughed again.

"Julie, what were you talking about earlier anyway? About Runo having no idea," Mira asked curiously.

I began to eat my lunch slowly as I waited for Julie's answer.

"Ohhhhhh," Julie said slowly. "That."

"Quit beating around the bush, Julie!" Fabia scolded.

"I think I forgot to tell you that Fabia has quite a bit of a temper issue too," Julie turned to me, only earning a raised eyebrow from me. "Okay, okay! You know, Runo's sitting next to Dan Kuso in class!"

The other three girls gasped, causing me to be startled. I blinked uncontrollably, dropping my spoon.

"Why is that such a big deal?!"

"Because, Dan Kuso is only the most popular guy in the whole of Bayview High!" Mira responded. The orange-haired then frowned. "But that's not exactly good news for you, Runo. You're going to earn a lot of hatred from all of his fangirls."

As though on cue, a group of girls walking past our tables began to whisper crazily, all glaring at me.

I buried my face in my hands and let out a groan. "I can't believe my luck. As though this doofus hasn't gotten me into enough trouble."

The girls around the table gasped, all immediately leaning forward.

"Did you meet Dan Kuso before?" Alice questioned.

"Apparently. I was out exploring Bayview yesterday and when I crossed the park, I heard a few cries for help. I saw this guy on the branch. It was Dan Kuso. I climbed up the tree to help him, thinking that he was in danger, when instead, he was only sleeping in the tree!"

At this point of time, all the girls had burst out laughing.

"That's typical of Dan. He's either sleeping or eating all the time!" Julie giggled.  
"That's not all! I was so angry and I was about to punch him, when the branch broke and the both of us fell. I fell on top of him, and what's worse, he said that I was heavy! And then he introduced himself to me. I was so angry that I stormed off," I rolled my eyes.

By then, Julie was practically rolling on the chair and laughing. Alice was covering her mouth as she tried to suppress her laughter, and Mira and Fabia were both tearing up from laughing.

I groaned, digging into my meal instead. I wasn't exactly expecting the girls to be empathethic though. In fact, when I thought about it, it was quite a funny encounter. I couldn't help but smile to myself.

Maybe Bayview High was going to be better than I thought.

* * *

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"But why, Ms Marlene?" I pleaded.

The teacher shook her head as she smiled sadly. "Runo, that's too minor of a reason for me to change your seat."

"But Miss, I just want to fit in here. I don't want to be cast aside just because of Dan Kuso!" I whispered tiredly.

Ms Marlene placed a hand on my shoulder as she gave me a sincere smile. "Dan isn't so bad. Give him some time. But still, I really can't say yes to you changing seats."

And with that, Ms Marlene walked off. Julie and the other girls popped their heads from behind a wall, all shooting me empathetic looks. I pouted my cheeks, while the girls came by to give me reassuring hugs.

"It'll be fine. As far as I'm concerned, Dan is a really nice guy, although he sleeps a lot," Alice giggled.

"Coming from the girl who has a crush on Dan Kuso's best friend, you can believe those words, Ru," Fabia gave me a thumbs-up and a wink. At this instant, Alice turned all beet red, letting out an embarassed squeak before chasing the blunette down the hallway.

Mira and Julie let out a laugh, while I blinked. Mira gave us a little wave, before turning around. "Our next class is about to start. I'll see you later."

I waved back with a bright smile. The girls had been lovely and wonderful companions, much to my delight.

"So, who's Dan Kuso's best friend?" I grinned at Julie.

"Oh, you mean Shun Kazami? He's from the Taekwondo Club, and is one of the most respected males in the school. He's a ninja, isn't that cool?!" Julie exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"Why're you guys talking about me?"

Julie and I jumped up, turning around only to see a rather mad raven-haired male. I'm not sure if he was really mad or that was just how he looked. I wasn't exactly interested to know it either.

"Hey, Shun! Why'd ya take off so quickly?"

I wasn't amused from hearing that voice. Dan Kuso stopped beside the said male, Shun, giving him a punch on the back. Dan Kuso later turned to me and pointed a pudgy finger at me with a wide grin.

"Hey, Runo!"

I folded my arms and pursed my lips at the brunette. "What do you want, Kuso?"

Dan Kuso frowned. "My name's Dan, Kuso's my family name."

I could see Shun shake his head in disapproval, and Julie trying to stifle a laugh.

"I know that!" I could feel anger rise up within me.

"I'm going back to my class," Shun said coolly, walking off.

"Bye, Shun!" Dan Kuso said eagerly, waving. Without turning around, the ninja held up his hand and gave a little wave.

I stared at Dan Kuso, jaw dropped. I couldn't understand how this guy could be the most popular guy in school. He was a complete idiot and a pig!

Dan Kuso turned to me with a cocky grin. "Am I too handsome for you to handle?"

I gasped, storming into the classroom.

Well, maybe he was handsome, just a little.

* * *

I stared at the clock intently, eyes fixated. The only thing audible to me was the ticking of the clock. For the past few hours, I had been trying to tolerate Dan Kuso's random sleeptalking and snores. I was surprised that I hadn't punched the hell out of him yet.

Each second felt as long as an hour. It was only then that I realised how wrong the phrase "time flies" was.

"Runo?"

I slumped into my seat, with my head on my hands. I patted my cheeks, trying to keep myself awake. Only five more minutes!

"Runo?"

I sighed as I recalled having to go home to try out my new waitress uniform. As far as I was concerned, knowing Dad, he would pick a really girly uniform, usually pink.

I jumped up from my seat as I felt a poke on my side. I was extremely ticklish, to the extent that extremely is even just an understatement.

I glared at Kuso, who was laughing uncontrollably.

"Ms Misaki, I have been calling you for at least three times! I'd expect more from a new student!" Our teacher lectured.

"I'm so terribly sorry, Mr Stark. What was it that you would like me to do?"

Just then, the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Never mind about that now. I hope that you'll be more attentive in future!"  
I nodded my head in response, taking my seat.

Dan Kuso was so going to get it from me.

* * *

"Come out, Runo! We need to see how it looks on you!"

"But, Mum, it's pink!" I screeched, tugging at the hem of the skirt.

"Silly girl, just come out," I heard the silvery voice of Aunt Rikka, the relative I adored so much.

I blushed, slowly walking down the stairs and into the living room. My hair was gathered into two pigtails with red ribbons. I had on a pink kimono reaching just above my knees with white lace and floral pattern, and a dark pink sash. Simply put, I was pink almost all over.

"You look gorgeous, honey!" Dad exclaimed. Of course he would say that about his favourite daughter.

"I look like a barbie doll," I huffed, folding my arms.

Aunt Rikka, whose dark blue hair was tied into a fishtail braid, and who was clothed in a blue and white floral dress, walked towards me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "At least your ribbons are red. And trust me, sweetheart, you look beautiful."

I blushed, before looking up at Aunt Rikka with a pout of my cheeks. "Must I really wear this?"

Aunt Rikka laughed, patting my head. "If you want to help out at the restaurant, you must. The renovation is almost done, and all the new staff recruited will have this uniform too, just in different colours."

I took a deep breath. "Alright."

Apart from the new group of great friends, I still wasn't sure that the move was such a great idea.

* * *

**And that was chapter 3! Our dear Dan Kuso is sadly only giving Runo more reasons to dislike him, isn't he? Wonder what will happen hmmmmm... (; and what's with Runo's waitress uniform heheh? ^^ anyways, do leave reviews yeah? ^^ until then!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Geez I'm kinda disappointed at the lack of reviews for the last chapter. I guess the story isn't as well-received as I hoped it would be. :x But I'll still work hard alright! (: I'll try to be more quick in updating the story. ** ** strikedeathkd53019: Agreed! Can't imagine an all-mature Dan. :P But in this story he'll be mature sometimes, due to certain reasons which shall be revealed sooner or later. (; And yes, I totally love this pairing too. (:** ** diamond heart 82: Now that's an idea. (; and nah, no problem, I love long reviews. :D** ** runo: Glad you like it! :D**

* * *

I blinked as I stood before my locker. My locker door was opened, and it was supposed to be empty. I hadn't brought any textbooks since my first day yesterday.

But boy, was I wrong.

"Aren't you gonna take those out?"

I jumped lightly, turning to my left. Dan Kuso's eyes were narrowed at the pile of letters in my locker, and he was clearly unamused.

"What are these?" I asked slowly.

Dan Kuso rolled his eyes, opening his locker door. A pile of letters fell out of his own locker too.

"You mean these?" Dan Kuso raised an eyebrow, pointing at the pile of letters. "They're love letters. I can't believe you don't even know, Kid."

"Who're you calling a kid?!" I yelled.

Dan Kuso shrugged, pointing a pudgy finger at the pile of letters in my locker. They weren't half as much as Kuso's, but to me, still plenty and too much for me to take.

"What're you gonna do with those, Kid? You're not gonna read all of them, are you?"

"I don't think I have the luxury of time to read all these..." I blinked.

"Good. Then it wouldn't be much trouble to help me take all of these to the trash too. Thanks, Kid," Dan Kuso turned around after pointing at his pile of letters and closing his locker door.

"What? Hey, wait!"

* * *

I let out a groan as I finally dropped all of Dan Kuso's love letters on his table. Alright, technically they were all on his head since the brunette was in snoozeville again.

Dan Kuso raised his head, eyes half-opened. He spat out a letter from his mouth, looking at me unhappily.

"Didn't I ask you to throw all of these away?"

"Take it all away yourself. These are the letters people who like you wrote to you personally. It's for you. I'm not throwing away all these for you," I rolled my eyes.

"What do you know about love letters?" Dan Kuso snapped.

"What I know is, Kuso, these letters are filled with the feelings of these girls towards you. Don't you know how hard it is for them to honestly pen down their feelings for you, and to actually have to write down their names even though knowing that there is the possibility of being rejected? Don't you have a heart?" I was horrified by the brunette's heartlessness.

Dan Kuso blinked at me, before turning away. The brunette pulled open his backpack, sweeping all the letters into it. I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry," Dan Kuso said softly, before returning to sleep.

* * *

"Runo, you're officially my role model now! I can't believe you really got Dan to accept all our love letters!" A random blonde ran up to me and shook my hand.

During lunch, I found myself surrounded by a large group of girls, all thanking me for what I had done to Kuso. To be honest, I was more curious as to how news spreaded so fast. I could only return all the girls with awkward smiles.

The crowd only cleared long after, and the girls and I could finally eat our lunch in peace.

"I told them," Julie said proudly when I told the girls about my curiosity. I gave Julie a doubtful look, but the Australian gave me a thumbs-up. "You're the first girl who's had this much of a courage to speak up to Dan like this! And besides, I saw you two at the lockers this morning."

I didn't like the smug smile plastered on the silver haired girl's face at all.

"He was obviously jealous."

All the other girls at the table sqeualed, dropping their cutlery.

"What happened?" Fabia demanded.

"Oh, apparently our new girl is just like, the most popular girl in our school now?!" Julie said slowly, before letting out a scream. The other girls all gasped, before shooting me bright smiles.

I only blinked back at them. I had no idea what it meant to be popular. Back in Wardington, I was never really well-known. I only worried that for now, this so-called popularity would only make it hard for me to fit into the school.

"But I don't think Jenny and Jewels would be really happy about this..." Alice said slowly.

"Who are they?" I asked innocently.

"Who are we? You don't know who we are? Know your place, newbie!"

I turned my head to my left, only to see a green haired girl in a white dress and a maroon haired girl in a purple top and yellow dress. They both had their arms folded as they shot me disapproving looks.

"Jenny, Jewels, give her a break!" Julie protested.

"We're not doing that! We're supposed to be the most popular girls in Bayview, and a newcomer has replaced us instead! This is outrageous!" The green haired girl yelled.

"That's because Runo isn't as snobby as you girls..." Mira muttered under her breath.

"What was that?!" The maroon haired girl slammed the table before Mira.

"If you heard what I said, Jenny, then don't bother asking again!" Mira yelled back, slamming the table.

"Why you-"

"Stop!" All heads turned towards me, causing me to flush instead.

Jenny and Jewels both had their jaws dropped, before they walked towards me slowly, which only intimidated me further.

"Like Jewels said earlier, newbie, know your place," Jenny hissed.

"If you have a grudge with me, take it out on me. I don't want a snob like you trying to bully my friends. You're nothing but a blind bitch who's acting almighty in front of everyone else!" I shouted back.

The whole cafeteria became silent at once, while I could see Jenny growing as red as an apple. The maroon haired female raised an arm as she readied herself to slap me, while I backed away. Instead, I never felt any surge of pain, and only felt an arm circled around my waist, preventing me from falling down.

Dan Kuso had grabbed Jenny by the arm and was glaring at her fiercely.

"D-D-Dan..." Jenny stammered.

Dan Kuso roughly pushed Jenny's arm away, pointing to the door of the cafeteria. I could see Jenny's lower lip trembling furiously, before the maroon haired female burst into tears and dashed out of the cafeteria, with Jewels running after her.

Dan Kuso lifted me up slowly, before patting my head.

"You alright, Kid?" I nodded slowly, having not snapped out of my trance. "Thanks, Dan Kuso."

"Seriously, Kid? Just call me Dan. If anyone else bullies you, you can always find me, alright?" Dan gave me one final pat on the head, causing me to blush madly and lower my head. The brunette then briefly walked away.

"Oh," Julie breathed.

"My," Mira blinked.

"Gosh!" Fabia screamed.

"I think Dan likes you," Alice smiled.

"You think? I know it!" Julie squealed.

I slowly sat down in my seat, shaking my head wildly. "No, he doesn't!"

"I've never seen Dan done something like this for any other girl," Alice said honestly.

"You probably just don't know," I answered quickly, sipping my smoothie nervously.

"I can sense flowers of romance blossoming!" Julie cheered.

I slapped my forehead. The Australian had to be kidding me.

* * *

I fidgeted with my fingers nervously as I sneaked glances of the brunette next to me. I didn't know how to thank Dan, considering the fact that I hadn't really liked him as much until today when he protected me. Not in the romantic way, of course.

"How long are you going to stare at me for?"

I gasped lightly, turning to the brunette. Was he sleeptalking again? I gently poked him.

"I'm not sleeptalking, what are you doing? That tickles!" Dan hissed, getting up and giving me a glare.

"How'd you know?" My mouth was in an "o" shape.

"I can feel it," Dan shrugged. The brunette's chocolate brown eyes were half-opened and fixated on me. I presumed he was still half-asleep.

"So. What were you staring at me for?" I immediately turned all beet red, turning my head to the other side.

"Nothing," I said quickly.

I heard Dan shrug. "Well, suit yourself."

I quickly turned around, only to see the brunette lying on the table again. I sighed, knocking my own head.

I took out a piece of paper, and quickly scribbled on it, before sliding it over to Dan's table.

I don't think I've ever blushed this much in a single day, but I was still blushing as I did so. Refusing to see Dan read the letter, I placed my head on my hands, pretending to listen to class. A minute later, I felt something under my elbow, and lifted it only to see another piece of paper.

"You're welcome, Kid."

* * *

"... And then he passed Runo this piece of paper, and she went all red after that!" Julie finished with a dreamy look.

"Julie!" I yelled, furiously tapping the Australian to stop her.

"Give it up, Runo, when Julie sees something romantic she doesn't stop rambling about it," Billy laughed from the counter.

Julie, Fabia, Alice, Mira and I were all at Sweets 'N Treats, where Julie had dragged us to because she said she had 'something urgent' to tell us all. But I guessed the urgency was all about Dan and I.

"How'd you know all these anyway? I mean, it's not like you're sitting next to them or anything," Alice blinked while asking.

"My love radar, of course!" Julie's aquamarine blue eyes were positively sparkling. Her response only caused us all to sweatdrop. "While sitting behind them in class I was observing them the whole time!"

"Fabia sure was right about you being a stalker," I mumbled, sipping my drink.

"Hey!"

"Julie, you are the greatest stalker ever!" Fabia laughed.

"Says the girl who always heads to the soccer field to spy on Ren Krawler almost everyday!" Julie stuck out her tongue.

Fabia turned all beet red, immediately covering Julie's mouth. "You promised not to say it out loud!"

The Australian forced Fabia's hand away, glaring back at the dark blunette. "Well, we're all like family! We should share secrets!"

"So, who's Ren Krawler?" I asked with a sly smile, head resting on my hands.

Fabia immediately turned beet red.

"Hey, Ren!"

All our heads turned to Billy, who was waving at a white-haired boy. The boy waved back, and I presumed that he was Ren. He was awfully tan, and rather muscular on top of that, and had a soccer ball tucked under his arm.

"Same old thing, Billy," Ren grinned, fist-punching Billy.

"Coming right up!" Billy turned around to the kitchen to take Ren's order.

Ren rested against the counter, before widening his eyes when he spotted us. Or rather, Fabia.

"Hey, Fab!"

Fabia immediately turned redder. The shade of red was indescribable.

"H-h-hi, Ren!" The poor blunette stammered, giving Ren a little wave.

"Didn't see you at my practice today," Ren gave a sad smile, cusing Fabia to look down.

"Sorry, I'll be there during the next!"

"Be waiting," Ren smiled sincerely, grabbing his order and leaving the cafe.

All four of us gave Fabia sly looks.

"No wonder you didn't want to be dragged by me to the cafe..." Julie grinned.

"Be waiting!" Mira mimicked, causing us all to burst out laughing.

"Fab, I think he likes you, honest!" I smiled.

"And he knows you've been going to his practices," Alice added curiously.

"Well, about that... There was once when he was playing soccer and he scored a goal, and I jumped up and cheered for him. The whole soccer team knew I was there then," Fabia knocked her head on the table repeatedly. "And stupid Dan Kuso started laughing at me."

"You sure he wasn't sleeping?" I giggled.

"Positively!" Fabia pouted her cheeks. "Honestly, Runo, do you like him then?"

"No! N! O! No! The brunette's such a doofus. I would never like him!" I protested, marking an 'X' with my forearms.

Mira, Julie and Fabia had all paused and were staring behind me, while I only blinked. Alice and I slowly turned around, only to see Dan Kuso and Shun Kazami behind us. I immediately turned beet red. Well, it wasn't just me, actually. Alice was blushing furiously too.

The two males stood behind our seats, and paused for a moment before they further proceeded into the cafe.

All five of us immediately clustered together, whispering furiously.

"What just happened?" I gasped.

"I think they heard you!" Mira hissed.

"No way!" Fabia gasped.

I started hammering at my head, when I felt something warm over my shoulders. I turned to my right, only to see Dan putting his jacket over me.

"You don't want to bend over like this, it's inappropriate," Dan said coolly.

I immediately turned red again, and quickly sat back down in my seat.

The girls all let out squeals as soon as Dan moved to the counter.

"I'm dying. This is all too fluffy for me to handle," Julie gasped, dramatically sliding down into her seat.

"Whatever, girls," I quickly said. I took out my handphone, only to realise how late it was. "Oh my goodness, I didn't realise it was this late. I'm so sorry, girls, I really have to return, or my dad will slaughter me."

Without waiting for an answer, I got up and quickly left the cafe with a little wave.

As I walked down the path home, I couldn't help but smell something really nice. It came from Dan's jacket. Surprisingly, for a boy, he had a really sweet smell. One that makes you swoon, literally. And just that smell was enough to make you imagine yourself in his embrace... Wait. What am I saying? I sound like a lovesick idiot!

I heard footsteps behind me, and turned around only to see Dan. Was he tailing me? I quickly turned around again, quickening my pace. I was reaching home soon, but Dan was still behind me!

As soon as I reached the entrance of my house, I stopped, only to realise that Dan was still behind me and walking towards me! Was he so determined to stalk me?!

"Why're you following me?" I gasped, pointing at the brunette.

Dan stopped with a raised eyebrow. He pointed to the house next to mine. "I live there."

I turned to where he pointed, and immediately turned twenty shades of red.

Dan had not moved an inch from his spot, and I realised that he might have wanted his jacket back.

"I'm sorry about this," I pointed at his jacket, taking it off. "I'll wash it and return it to you tomorrow, okay?"

Dan nodded his head briefly. "You live here?"

I nodded. "I didn't know we were neighbours."

"Neither did I."

There was a long pause as I fidgeted uncomfortably. "W-well, I'm going back now."

I quickly retreated back home before Dan could reply. I leaned against the door, gasping for breath. Why was my heart beating so fast? Why was my face so red?

Why?

* * *

**And that's chapter 4. Hehehs hope you guys are excited for more! ^^ I hope that the story will be even more well-received, yeah? Do remember to leave a review yay. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi there, it's been long since I've updated. What can I say? I haven't made much progress or anything, and I'm still at Chapter 9. I'll try to speed up, promise! **

** diamond heart 82: Sorry for the long wait! ): I hope this chapter is good enough to make it up to you! (:**

** strikedeathkd53019: Sorry for the long wait! ): and well, it's nice to know someone understands how I feel. (: **

** 4fireking: Hahahahas nopes I don't use wordpad, whatever that is. Sorry for the grammatical errors or anything- I only check the storyline hahahas, *sweatdrops**

** Guest: Glad you love it ^^**

** AnimalsRule4Evr: Hahahas in this story Julie won't exactly be having a crush on Dan, she'd be more of a fangirl. But Runo has her fans full enough with just Jenny and Jewels. (;**

* * *

I sighed as I walked along the pavement to school, with Dan's jacket over my forearm. Earlier in the morning , I had went over to his house, only to found out that he had left. I guessed it was a routine for Dan to sleep in school, but I wondered why. Who wouldn't like the comfort of their own bed?

As I walked down the hallways of the school and towards my locker, I realised I was earning a lot of weird looks which only made me feel more and more uncomfortable. I quickly gathered all the books I needed for the day, shutting the locker door quickly before the new pile of love letters could all fall out.

"What are you doing with Dan's jacket?"

I turned around only to see Jenny, who was clearly furious. Jewels stood beside her with her arms folded.

I rolled my eyes, deciding to ignore the snobby girl. Instead, I was pulled back by the hair.

"Hey!"

"I'm talking to you! No one leaves me without giving me an answer!" Jenny demanded.

"I don't have to answer to you. You're just nothing but a spoilt brat!" I spat. By now, many people were gathered around us, trying to understand what was going on.

Jenny gasped, giving me a slap. I glared back at the maroon haired girl fiercely, unfazed. All she knew was to use violence to get what she want. I wasn't going to stoop to her level.

"Who are you to answer me like this?"

"And who are you to pretend that you are the king of the jungle?" I argued back.

"You're just a newbie, you don't deserve Dan!"

"I'm not with Dan! He just lent me his jacket yesterday, what's wrong with that?" I was furious at the girl.

"Leave him!"

"I'm telling you, I'm not even with him. Now stop being a little bitch and crawl back to your classroom!" I yelled back angrily. My eyes widened as I saw Jenny raise her arm, preparing to give me another slap.

"Jenny, what are you doing?"

All eyes turned to Ms Marlene who was marching towards Jenny and I.

"But Miss, she bullied me!"

The whole crowd fell silent.

"I know what I saw, and I'm sure everyone else here would be very clear as to what exactly happened. Right now, you are going to return to the Headmaster's office with me. Runo, return to class this instant," Ms Marlene grabbed Jenny by the wrist while shooting me a strict look.

"But Miss, she was involved in this too!" Jewels protested, pointing at me.

"Runo is a new girl at Bayview High, what could she do to you?" Ms Marlene answered, dragging a crying Jenny over to the Headmaster's office.

I blinked, while Julie ran up to me.

"I'm sorry it took long, but I managed to get Ms Marlene!"

I shook my head with a small smile. "It's alright. Thanks, Julie."

The Australian and I returned back to our classroom, and I quietly sat down. Dan got up beside me, groaning and stretching as far as his limbs allowed him to. The brunette blinked lazily at him, before his eyes suddenly widened.

"Why's your face red?"

I placed my hand on my right cheek, which I came to realise was sore. I'd been thinking so much along the way I'd forgot about having been slapped by Jenny.

I shook my head, turning away from the brunette, but the brunette paused, holding my cheek.

"Jenny slapped her. She thought that you and Runo were together because Runo had been carrying your jacket, and went crazy," Julie explained.

"Julie!"

"What? You can't not let him know!"

"Jenny did this to you?" Dan's eyes widened in horror. It was only then that I realised that Dan had really beautiful eyes, a warm shade of chocolate brown which were really mesmerising.

But I looked away instead. If Dan were to get involved in this, there would only be more trouble.

"I'll deal with this."

I turned to the brunette, horrified. I shook my head fiercely. "If you were to deal with it, things are only going to get worse."

"But you-"

"I'm perfectly fine. I appreciate your concern, but really, I'm alright."

Dan gave me a doubtful look, unconvinced. Julie shrugged and returned to her seat.

"Really."

Dan gently rubbed my cheek. He seemed to have a magic touch, because when he touched my cheek, it felt as if all the pain had vanished in an instant.

Just then, the school bell rang, and Ms Marlene entered the class. Dan returned to his original position. He seemed to be deep in thought.

* * *

I listlessly carried my lunch tray alongside Julie, who was, as usual, rambling non-stop about Dan. I couldn't focus on anything she said. Not when all the way from classroom to the cafeteria, every single girl had been giving me frowns and pointing at me while giving each other whispers and murmurs. These weren't assuring signs at all.

I let out a yelp as my tray fell to the floor, turning to the right only to see that one of the girls had bumped into me. She gave me a sly smile, before fluttering her eyelashes and biting her lower lip.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

I shook my head, picking up the tray and other bits of food that had dropped, before heading over to the trash bin. Julie shot me an empathetic look.

"Runo, please tell me you're alright."

I shook my head. "I'm fine."

I walked over to the table where all the other girls were. They all looked really concerned.

"Here, you can take my milk," Mira placed her cup of milk in front of me.

"And you can take my mashed potato," Fabia grinned, passing her bowl of mashed potato to me.

"And here's my bowl of porridge," Alice smiled sweetly.

"Thanks, girls, but I'm really fine without much food," I smiled smally. I didn't have much of an appetite, not when every other girl in school was treating me coldly and rudely. I hadn't done anything wrong!

"No, girl! You're already so skinny! You need to eat!" Julie insisted, shoving a spoonful of porridge in my mouth.

Without a protest, I swallowed the porridge, before tears pricked my eyes.

At least I still had these wonderful girls who would support me till the end.

* * *

"Pst!"

I turned to Dan, who was grinning at me.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" I asked. Dan chuckled, pushing a piece of paper to my table.

I looked at the piece of paper, which had a pig on it. The pig looked sad. There were a few words scribbled below. "If you're sad, this piggy will be sad too."

I giggled. Was Dan desribing himself as a pig?

I wrote under the line. "Why a pig?"

"Because I sleep and eat a lot. And pigs are stupid. They're like me, a doofus."

I smiled at Dan. I drew a heart shape on the paper. "Well, thanks for cheering me up, piggy."

* * *

"Did you hear? Jenny got detention!"

"The new girl got her into it, didn't she?"

I lowered my head as I walked down the hallway. I could hear insults all hurled at me, like daggers stabbing into my heart. It was supposed to be a new start, a fresh one for me. Who wouldn't want a smooth-sailing life in a new environment?

I jumped slightly when I felt something hit my shoulder, only to realise that it was a crushed piece of paper. I crouched down to pick up the paper, and slowly opened it. The word "loser" was written on it.

The paper was briefly snatched from me.

"I thought only pre-schoolers did this."

I looked up, only to see the nonchalant expression of Dan. The brunette, being a head taller than me, raised the paper high above my head.  
All eyes instantly turned to Dan.

"Listen, if anyone dares to bully Runo Misaki any further, whether you're a guy or a girl, you'll get it from me," Dan crushed the paper into a tight ball, before throwing it right into a trash bin accurately.

Before anyone could even blink, Dan had already pulled me out of the school. The brunette's grip was so tight on my wrist, I couldn't manage to wiggle free.  
I could only let Dan keep pulling me away. Only when we reach the park beside the school, the exact same park where we first met, Dan stopped.

He slowly let go of my hand, and turned around to face me. I looked up at the brunette, heart thumping heavily.

"Thanks for earlier, but you really didn't have to," I decided to take the first move in disrupting the awkward silence.

"I indirectly caused you to be involved in this mess. I have to get you out of it," Dan answered, holding up my hand. "Listen, Runo. No matter what happens, you can depend on me. I promise."

The brunette brought my hand up to his lips, planting a soft kiss. He gave me one last longing look while smoothing my hair gingerly, before leaving.

Just what was going on?

* * *

I didn't want to get out of bed. It was already seven thirty in the morning. If I didn't get up then, I would be late for school. It's not like I wanted to go anyway.

"Honey, you're not going to school?"

I was glad it was Dad who came to ask. I wouldn't have been able to convince my mother.

"Is it alright if I don't go for today? Just today?" I asked quietly.

My father sat beside me, rubbing my cheek with his rough yet warm hand gently. "Not feeling up for school today?"

I shook my head. "Please?"

"Anything you want, honey," Dad answered with a smile, planting a kiss on my head before leaving the room.

I retreated back under my blanket, pulling it over my head. I didn't know what to do for the rest of the day.

Turning to my left, I spotted the pile of love letters which stuck out from below my desk. I blinked slowly.

Oh well. I didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day, did I?

I crawled out of my bed lazily, to the side of my desk. I pulled out a random letter, peeling open the seal.

"Dear Runo, roses are red. Violets are blue. Sugar is sweet, and so are you."  
I frowned, before laughing sheepishly. This was way too corny.

"Dear Runo, you are the first girl I've ever liked. You have eyes of the brightest emerald, hair the shade of the clearest sky blue..."

I folded the letter abruptly.

One hour later, I wasn't halfway through the stack yet. I leaned against my bed, deciding to take a break. All the letters had been pretty corny, and there was even a letter from a girl about how pretty she thought I was, which was really freaky.

I took a deep breath, but slowly got up when something caught my eye. I slowly pulled out one of the envelopes, only to confirm my doubts. There was a pig drawn on top. An all-too familiar pig.

I slowly pulled open the seal, and took out a letter.

"Kid," I breathed as soon as I saw the first word inscribed on the letter. I felt my heart beating faster and faster.

"When I first met you, I was honestly mesmerised by your beauty. Your green eyes... Those eyes... I've never seen anything like them before. They seemed to speak to me. And when we first met, when you first fell on me and scolded me, it was hilarious.

"When we met at the classroom the next day, you scolded me. Our meeting was really unexpected, wasn't it? And I still remember the time when you scolded me about the love letters. Kid, do you know, you're the first girl who ever dared to speak up to me like that.

"You're a really independent and fine girl. One who isn't afraid of being herself. You're the first girl who doesn't swoon at the sight of me and who dares to speak up against me instead. You're the first girl who my heart has thumped ever so greatly for.

"Kid, I think I love you."

* * *

**So... DAN HAS A CRUSH ON RUNO! Well, as if it wasn't obvious enough I guess hahahahas. Wonder how Runo's gonna react to that hmm... Do leave a review yeah? And thanks for reading! I'll try my very best to update in a week's time! (: **


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